


A History Of Violence.

by Lanna Michaels (lannamichaels)



Category: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fratricide, POV Xav Vorbarra, Post-Massacre, Royalty, The Dismemberment of Mad Emperor Yuri, Time Period: Yuri Vorbarra's Civil War, Vorbarra Family Values, Xav Vorbarra's Civil War, Yay WIP finishing!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2019-01-30 03:20:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12645102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lannamichaels/pseuds/Lanna%20Michaels
Summary: Xav Vorbarra is no Emperor.





	A History Of Violence.

1.

Piotr's first question should not have been a surprise.

"Has there been a coup?" he demands of Xav. He is as wild as Xav has ever seen him. Xav fears for the horses.

Xav puts his hands on Piotr's shoulders to restrain him. "I'm so sorry," he says, and he is. "Truly."

Piotr flinches hard and Xav grips him tighter to hold him in place. "No," Piotr says. "Not Yuri. He wouldn't."

"He did," Xav says. "I took the order off of his dead assassins myself. It's his own hand above his seal."

Piotr takes a dangerous step forward, intent. "He wouldn't," he insists blindly, "he wouldn't."

"He did." Xav shows Piotr no mercy. Piotr would not welcome it, and Xav has none to give right now. Instead, he grabs Piotr by the forearm and pulls him in. "Piotr, it was Yuri. He did this. He killed them all."

Piotr pushes Xav to the ground and screams.

 

2.

"No," Xav says. "Not me, and certainly not young Aral. I won't continue my father's folly."

Ezar punches the wall.

"I deserved that," Xav says.

"You-- I'll never touch you," Ezar says. " _My prince_."

"Your right is better than mine," Xav says. "Do you think I've ever forgotten that? My father sent you to Piotr to get you away from Yuri; he thought you'd murder him for his place. I'm here now, cousin, to atone for that. Kill Yuri, with my blessing. Take the Imperium, with my blessing. I'm sick of it all. I want no further part in it."

"No," Ezar growls. "Here's your answer, Xav. No. I won't be a puppet in your games. My father's motive for swearing to Dorca might have been to save his own life, but I'm not that mercenary. I mean my oaths."

"Yuri's gone mad," Piotr says. He's subdued, still wrapped up in the shock of seeing Yuri's order. It will take him most of the next week to work through the shock until he finds rage again on the other side. "He needs to be put down."

"I'm not your Emperor," Ezar says. "Find some other puppet."

"No," Xav says. "I won't."

 

3.

Young Aral is so much like his father. He wants to fight, and he's certainly old enough, but Xav can see him struggling to direct his anger. He blames himself for not dying; Xav isn't unfamiliar with the sentiment. If he'd been faster to move against Yuri, his children would still be alive. His grandchildren would still be alive. He wasn't fast enough. Xav Vorbarra has fought wars in his life, but he did not correctly judge Yuri's betrayal, and that is his greatest failure as a general. As a prince. As a father.

He barely needs to crouch down in front of Aral these days. The boy is getting tall, nearly a man. That's good, he'll have to be a man now. The war will make him one, if it doesn't kill him.

"Be a good soldier," Xav orders him. "Always keep your knife clean."

 

4.

"Did you know," Xav asks Yuri, his hands buried in his coat pockets so he does not give in to any of his urges to end his brother's life right here, right now, and damn tomorrow, "Piotr wouldn't believe it was you until I showed him the order?"

"Piotr was always a good boy," Yuri says. "The most obedient apprentice I ever had. You ruined him."

"Even then," Xav continues, "he still wanted to check. Because someone could have forged your hand or your seal, so he wanted to check the blood. He really couldn't believe you would betray him."

"He lacks imagination," Yuri says. "I hear I'm to be torn apart. Your idea?"

"Yes," Xav says.

"Poetic," Yuri comments, then smiles. "Do you want to know what your son said right before I killed him? Do you want to know how he begged for his life?"

Xav's fingernails dig hard into his palm. "I should kill you now," he says. "Save us a lot of fuss tomorrow."

"Yes, but you won't," Yuri says. "You've always been too weak for that."

 

5.

There's nothing like a good execution to get the blood flowing and cheer people up. It's primal. Xav doesn't usually enjoy executions, but he makes exceptions, and he's making an exception for this one. He's dreamt of Yuri's death for too long for it to be stolen. The Betans are more blood-thirsty, choosing to brainwash their subjects into compliance, and Xav had toyed with the idea. It would have been a proper ending for Yuri, to utterly forget himself, to fall in line like he is nothing and no one. But Ezar had argued him out of it. An execution is better. Cleaner. Ezar wants a sharp transition and there is little more sharp than a blade. Ezar is soft, but he'll harden. He'll have to.

Xav considers Yuri's execution hall. His death will be drawn out; if Xav has his way, it will take three times as long to kill Yuri as it did to conduct Yuri's massacre. Good. Yuri should suffer as Xav has. These last two years have been hard and harsh. Xav wants the blood to flow. He wants to be clean.

It's Ezar's job now to unite the Counts behind his banner. Xav has... a retirement. Ezar doesn't know what to do with a prince who led a revolution against an Emperor. Ezar barely even knows what to do with Piotr most of the time.

But he'll learn.


End file.
